We are blessed to be a rich nation with more material goods than most of the rest of the world. We also create more trash, garbage and waste than much of the world’s people put together.

If we look to Japan, Great Britain and Europe, who have lived for centuries in limited space with limited resources, we see people that own and carry their own shopping bags. Even living in Venezuela in the late 1950s, I saw no one being supplied with a bag (or sack if you prefer) when they shopped. All carried ‘string’ bags or some sort of reusable cloth bag.

Each of us have the freedom to vote our choice in the upcoming election. We are so blessed to be able to do that. I point out to Albert Hern however that there are cloth and collapsible reusable bags available for a small amount in stores, catalogs (see LLBean) and places like Value Village and Goodwill, that can be used practically forever and washed. You have a multitude of choices of handles that are most  comfortable. And to Laura Neff – you may opt to drive to another town to shop a store offering plastic bags, but instead of utilizing a petroleum product you are using more petroleum or energy of some kind to get there. You are to be applauded for reusing and not just trashing your current plastic bags. Exercise your deciding option with your vote and then be happy with what you have instead of being unhappy until you get something else. Most of us here have so much.

Vote your conscience on all issues and then volunteer somewhere.